Ranger's Apprentices
by Kennie Barton
Summary: Queen Cassandra is expecting a delivery from the East. But the chest is stolen by the infamous Pirate Gavin of Picta, leading to the adventure of a lifetime for two young thieves. Now the Royal Ranger must learn how to train not one, but two head strong apprentices. Discover how the arrival of Nikhi and Kennie redefines the Ranger Corps in this collaborative work with Ranger Nikhi.
1. Chapter 1

Cassandra stalked impatiently across the Throne Hall, her sharp footfalls echoing throughout the massive chamber. King Duncan had died many years back, and now King Horace watched with amusement from the throne. He really did not understand what his wife's fuss was about, '_it was just a chest that was late in its delivery,_' He thought. Horace stopped the thought where it was, '_No, this was a_special_chest.'_ "Cassie, you really must stop pacing, you'll wear out the floor and I'm getting tired just watching you.  
Cassie threw her husband a frustrated look that could have killed. "I have been waiting, and the delivery is now a week overdue, something must have happened to it!" she proclaimed.  
"Or maybe, there was a storm and the ship had to go to ground and is delayed, things like that happen a lot at sea you know." Gilan said cheerfully. He had slipped into the room unseen while Cassie had been pacing, and had been watching the proceedings with interest.  
"Gorlog's Teeth Gilan, you scared the hell out of me!" Cassandra exclaimed.  
"Sorry M 'lady but we Rangers have never been much for formal and noticeable entrances." Gilan replied, humour dancing in his voice.  
Horace stepped up from his place and shook the Ranger Commandant's had enthusiastically. "Gilan, it's good to see you, how have you been? I trust the Commandant's duties are keeping you from our company, or is it a certain someone this time?" Horace asked jokingly.  
Knowing who Horace was implying, Gilan replied, "No, I didn't get to see Jenny this time, hopefully my next visit to Redmont will be less urgent and I will have time to see her, but I don't think I'll get off easy if she knew I was there and I didn't stop by."  
Cassandra sighed heavily, lowering herself into a nearby chair, "I can't sit in that damned throne all day, it's too hard for my old bones," she joked lightly. Horace shook his head in sorrow. Cassandra was in no way an old woman, but the task of running the kingdom and its colonies was beginning to take its toll.  
"Are there any Rangers you can spare to at least find the ship?" She asked Gilan. Although she could easily command the Commandant to send a Ranger, she asked out of respect for the legendary Corps.  
"M 'lady, you know I can't just-," Gilan began to say, before being cut off by Cassandra.  
"Gilan, it would take more time to mobilize a unit of the army to send them, and we both know Rangers are faster, more efficient and effective," she said. "I would much rather the report of a Ranger over anything else."  
"Well, when you put it like that I'm sure I could send one of my men to look for that ship." Gilan said slowly, already planning the mission in his head. '_If I sent James and, no wait, they're scheduled for a mission, uggh, there is no one I have available except…'_ "What about the Task Force?" he inquired.  
Before Cassandra could even conceive a reply, Horace looked up, "Yes!" He exclaimed. Cassandra shot him a glare that could have frozen the sun. She went to argue but Gilan cut her off.  
"I haven't any Rangers to send other than them, Will, Angie, Johnny, and Maddie should be able to handle this mission perfectly. It'll be good for them to do something together again."  
Cassandra looked from one man to the other, both staring intently at her, waiting for her reply. Helplessly, she raised her eyes to the roof and threw her arms up in the air in exasperation. "Ok fine, you can go, just find where that ship is, if the crew and captain is alright, and is the chest is secure."  
Gilan noted to himself her concern for the captain and crew, another reason why Cassie was such a great Queen. "I'll write up the mission order, Horace, I suggest you notify Johnny and get him to suit up, I'll ride to Trelleth to see Will, Johnny, Maddie and Angie off."  
Horace nodded, kissed his wife, and departed from the Throne Hall, in a hurried manner, excitement etched into every movement of his body. Cassandra smiled to herself as she watched him go. "Make sure that they don't get into any scrapes, I don't want them coming home in tatters."  
Gilan let out a loud laugh, before departing the hall himself. Hurrying to his quarters, he scooped up his bow, stringing it in a matter of seconds. He tried to ignore the mound of paperwork that still needed to be completed. He currently had no apprentices helping with the Commandant duties, and he made a mental note to track one down when he got back. Scrawling an official order, he signed and sealed it quickly, making sure not to blur any of the ink. He made his way down to the Messenger Pigeons offices, passing the note to the Pigeon Master, asking for a delivery to Redmont. The messenger nodded and hurried off.  
Gilan then made for the stables. Nestled against the inner wall of Castle Araluen, the small squat building was exclusive for the nobles living in the Castle. Soldier's and Commoner's horses were either kept in their fields or in the Military Fields, consisting of the Battle School and Horse School. Upon entering the building, Gilan took in the ornate carvings on the wood of the stalls, depicting past battles and epics. Approaching the stall closest to the door, a neigh cut through the noise of the outside. Blaze stuck her head over the stall and looked imploringly at him, _"Apples? Oh, and how fast did you want to get to Trelleth?"_ Blaze said. Gilan shook his in wonderment, he still wondered how his horse new everything, let alone talk to him.  
"Medium Pace should give the others enough time to get there before us." He said softly, making sure none of the Stable-Hands were nearby. Opening the stall, he saddled Blaze swiftly, making sure the horse had not taken in a breath to keep the straps loose. As per usual, Blaze had not taken in a breath; she understood that it was pointless, so she never bothered anymore.  
"Good girl," Gilan whispered, proffering an apple to the horse. She cast a critical eye over it, then decided it was good enough and munched happily while her master mounted up and set off. With the sun approaching midday, a green clad Ranger hurtled down the road from Castle Araluen towards the horizon, cloak streaming behind him.


	2. Chapter 2

The captain of the small schooner stood at the helm looking over his listing ship. The storm had been far more dangerous than he had originally thought. He would never set sail knowing he would cost crew members their lives. And now they were threatened by pirates, his ship could never outrun them, she was too damaged.  
"Is the chest safe?" he called to his first mate, a portly man who had served this vessel since he was a young boy. The captain needed to make sure that chest was safe. This whole voyage would be a waste if that chest never made it back to the West.  
"Aye, Capt'n," his first mate responded; "Hidden 'way in the false panel of the hull." The captain nodded, his hold on the tiller loosening slightly, the white on his knuckles fading marginally. "Only we know it's there Capt'n. Those pirates won't be looking for the false panel."  
"I want to make sure it's safe," the captain responded. "Without that chest we'll lose everything. Even _Harmony_."  
"What's so important 'bout that chest?" a man challenged from the rigging where he was trying to trim the sails to give _Harmony_ some speed. A few of the other crew members on the deck shouted agreement. What where they risking their lives to transport from that country to the East?  
"It's our payday, boys," the captain's hand tightened on the tiller again. "The Queen herself sent us for this chest. With our reward we can finally return to our true calling."  
"Only if your brother don't catch us first," the crooked face of the man in the crow's nest shouted, his spyglass lowered as he pointed to the quickly approaching vessel off their starboard side. "He's got the wind on his side Capt'n!"  
"And we're dropping 'low the water line," a young boy, the newest addition to the crew shouted as his head appeared from below deck. "Water's spilling through the damage from the hurricane."  
"Start to bail! Make for the shore! Limp her to safety, I'll not have _Harmony_ overtaken by _Discord_."  
"Capt'n," the first mate shouted, "he's pulling his weapons."  
"Make ready," the captain shouted.  
"She'll never survive if that bolt hits," one of the crew shouted from his position in the ratlines. "She's already limping!"  
_Tell me something I don't already know,_ Captain Reginald thought sourly. He was still cursing the Skandian skirl that had invented that monstrous, mounted crossbow. It had caused Reginald Baudin more grief in his lifetime than his annoying brother. The fact that his brother had adopted the weapon was the final blow. Of course he would have one. Gavin always got what he wanted.  
"We'll survive," Reginald called to his crew. "Trim the sails, if the wind is pushing _Discord,_ it can push us as well. Today is not the day I surrender to Gavin of Picta."  
There was a cheer of approval from the crew as they set to limp their wounded vessel to shore. They lived on the open waters, they were use to a challenge, and none of them wanted Gavin to take their ship.  
At the tiller of _Discord_ the short Gallic sailor narrowed his eyes at his target. They had been chasing _Harmony_ for weeks, firing at the ship to injure her so she could be overtaken. He did not want to sink _Harmony_. No he would never sink the sister of his own vessel. But they were hauling something important.  
Gavin needed that chest Reg was hauling for the Royal family of Araluen. He did not know what it was, but his sources said it would fetch a large sum to the right buyers. Gavin was excited about that, his coffers were starting to run low.  
"Oars," Gavin called. "Ready the crossbow, prepare to board!" A smile spread across his tanned face as the distance between the twin-ships closed. After weeks of chasing her, sailing through that hurricane, _Discord_ was finally going to overtake the limping schooner right off the coast of Picta.  
_Discord_ jerked as the giant crossbow was fired, the rope attached to the bolt following the trail of the meter long projectile. Gavin watched the bolt crash into the forward hull of _Harmony,_ the rope growing taunt.  
"Reverse oars! Haul in the ropes, close the distance! Make ready to board," the boarding party gathered around the portside bow, their weapons drawn and wide grins spreading across their faces.  
Slowly the two ships came together. Gavin sent several more bolts to the other ship, holding the two ships together through Reg's attempts to separate them. Finally _Harmony_ and _Discord_ came along side, and Gavin sent out his raiding party.  
"Find that chest lads! Leave to crew, all I want is the chest!"  
Gavin's crew vanished below decks, easily overpowering the remaining crew members aboard Reg's vessel. Gavin crossed to _Harmony_ with his hands folded behind his back, a small smile pulled at his face seeing the weary captain detained at the tiller by Gavin's first mate.  
"Ah, Reg," Gavin gave false pleasantries. "It's been too long brother."  
"There's nothing aboard this ship for you," Reg spat, ripping his arm free. "You've damaged her enough. I'll never be able to repair her."  
Gavin smiled, his teeth flashing in the bright morning light. "Now, we both know you've never been able to keep anything from me."  
Reg sneered at Gavin, "We left piracy."  
"Turned loyal or some nonsense," Gavin waved the thought away. "Yes, I know all of that. But I know that the Queen sought you to retrieve something for her."  
"You need to check your sources," Reg said coolly, his eyes narrowing. "I've been working for merchants."  
"You sailed to the East, past the edges of the known world," Gavin corrected. "One of my ships saw you sailing right past Nihon-Ja."  
"You've been behind us for the past month," Reg returned, standing closer to his brother. "You were so determined to catch me you sailed through a hurricane."  
"And you were so determined to get back to the Queen you sailed through it to get away from me, even though _Harmony_ was limping," Gavin smiled again. "Now, save us this foolishness. Give me the chest and I'll give a cut of my profits."  
"I will not betray the trust of the Queen."  
"But you would defy your only brother?" Gavin gave a hurt expression, but his voice remained cool and calculating. "Here I thought mother had taught you better than that."  
Reg narrowed his gaze further, standing straighter in defiance of his brother's claims. "I am on a mission for the Queen of Araluen, your Queen. I will not fail her."  
"Pity," Gavin nodded to his first mate. "Cut the mast, torch the sails, and empty the hull."  
"Gavin," Reg followed after his brother to the railing, holding his brother's arm. "You don't know what you're doing. The item the Queen sent us after, it's bigger than you think."  
Gavin smiled, climbing up on the railing to return to his ship. "I always know what I'm doing, and you'll thank me when this is over."  
Gavin stepped back aboard _Discord_, his crew swarming after him. Two men carried a large ornate chest between them. Gavin smiled knowing it was the item they were after. At the tiller Gavin gave the order and the ships separated, _Discord _pulling away in the strong winds, leaving the injured _Harmony_ to limp to shore.  
"Get that chest below, and draw oars," he commanded watching his brother's ship disappear on the horizon. "I want to reach port by sundown."


	3. Chapter 3

Light shined happily through the trees in Trelleth, dappling the ground with their soft green glow. Two short, barrel-chested horses were walking side by side, their riders hidden from sight by enveloping green cloaks. They were Rangers, members of the secretive Ranger Corps. The first rider had a massive longbow slung across his saddle, the second rider, had a smaller, funny looking bow across their back. Leaning towards the second rider, the first rider spoke, "Angie, be on the lookout, we're being followed."  
Angie, the second rider, threw back her head and laughed, making sure that her cowl stayed in place, but that her voice carried. Subsiding, she twitched her nose, signaling that she heard, and knew the rider was there. Will was secretly proud of his apprentice; she made it look like he had told her a funny joke, concealing any indication that they knew their follower was there.  
With a yell, their follower announced his presence; "YEEAARRRGGGH!" came the battle-cry from behind. Within the blink of an eye, Angie had spun around, nocked, and loosed an arrow as fast as the wind. The arrow never reached its target. Anticipating the move, Gilan had nocked an arrow, and sent it flying to intercept Angie's. With the sound of splintering wood, the arrows collided, spinning off in two directions. The following figure had slowed, and was now seen as a mounted knight, lance held firmly in his hand.  
"Though I commend you on your skill, my dear Angie, I suggest looking at what you're shooting at before doing so." Johnny said cheerfully, grinning as he dismounted, stowing his lance on his saddle. Angie shot him an annoyed look, dismounting as well, paining over the fact she had forgotten to identify her target.  
"I thought she did brilliantly, reacting as fast as she did," Gilan replied, stepping out from his position, nodding at Angie. The annoyed feeling that had settled over her heart quickly dissipated at the praise from the Commandant. Only Will had not said anything, in fact, he had not even moved. Angie looked up at her mentor.  
"It's nothing; I just thought I saw something." Will said, shaking his head to dispel the thought.  
"Okay, if you're sure," Angie said, concern edging in her voice. She then greeted Johnny, hugging him warmly. Despite their childhood conflicts, after finding out their blood relation, the pair had become thick as thieves, spending vast amounts of time with each other when visiting the other's fief.  
Turning to Gilan, she greeted the Commandant, "It's good to see you again Gilan, and how are the Devil's little helpers shaping up?"  
Knowing what she was referring to, Gilan replied warmly, "They are just fine, fitting in perfectly, though they are getting more and more uncontrollable the closer to apprenticeship they get."  
They mounted again, Gilan calling Blaze out from the woods. They spent the next three hours of the day riding deeper into Trelleth, looking for a place to make camp. Judging by map, Angie estimated they were in the middle of the fief's countryside, far away from any town, village, or hamlet.  
It was actually Johnny who found their place for the night. It was a small clearing off the side of the road, a perfect size for four people and their horses to camp comfortably with a fire.  
"Angie, Johnny, go find some firewood for us, I suggest that dead tree we passed seventy paces that-a-way," Gilan said, gesturing with his thumb back the way they had come. They both nodded before heading off, both taking their saxe knives. Will noted with approval that Angie took her sling with her, as a measure of safety.  
"Now, Gilan, do you know where Maddie is?" Will inquired, raising an eyebrow. It was something they had both become fond of, an expression adopted from their legendary mentor, Halt.  
"When I went to tell her about the mission, she had already gone, I suspect she overheard and left immediately." Gilan conceded, thinking thoroughly over the evidence presented.  
Will nodded thoughtfully, "I think she went cross country, I didn't encounter her on the road, and I suspect you didn't either." Gilan shook his head, confirming the statement.  
"We're back!" Angie called cheerfully, walking easily while Johnny staggered around with all of the firewood. Before Will could reprimand her for calling out so loudly, he noticed the cause of her good mood. She had a pair of hares over her shoulder, brought down by her sling.  
"Looks like we're going to eat well tonight," Gilan said, already thinking of Will's cooking. Will sighed heavily before rummaging around in his pack for his cooking supplies.  
"Best get a fire going, I want to have this hare with coffee afterwards," He said gruffly. Contented groans came from all at the mention of coffee.  
After the stew had been cooked, the group sat around the embers of the fire, nursing mugs of rich, dark coffee. They remained in that position for a while, before going to sleep, with Gilan taking the first watch.  
The next morning, they had packed up the camp quickly, eager to be on their journey. Having taken the last watch, Will had already packed up his belongings, and he sat on his horse, an amused expression on his face. He trotted Tug to the outside of the camp, and stopped him on the edge of the road. He was still trying to get used to having the new Tug. He had made another horse swap a couple of months prior to the mission, the second Tug retiring due to age. The separation had been just as painful as the first, as he had begun to depend on the horse, and now he must do so again.  
Angie walked up to him, "Will, can I ask you something?" She had begun, before realizing what she had said, and knowing what he would say. But he never said it, looking up; Angie saw his face was set on the horizon.  
"Will, what's wron-," He cut her off with a movement of his hand. She saw his eyes roaming the road, searching every nook and cranny ahead of them. No one except Will had heard Tug's warning call. Starburst nickered uncertainly, butting against Angie's shoulder. Blaze pricked her ears looking intently down the road. They all saw the cloud of dust rising, and a horse came over the crest in the road. Short, barrel-chested, from this distance, Will could tell it was a Ranger's horse, but something was wrong. The horse had a rider, but that rider was not actually riding, they were slumped over the saddle, unmoving.  
"That's Bumper," Will said, recognizing the horse. Angie could hear the worry in his voice, "That's Maddie's horse, but what's wrong with her?" They could now clearly see the green cloak, and the three arrows that sprouted from the figure's back.  
In a flash, Will was hurtling towards Bumper, Gilan not far behind him. Mounting quickly, Johnny and Angie hurried after the two Rangers. Bumper stopped when he reached Will and Gilan, slowing down to a stop. Leaping from his saddle, Will was at the figure's side. Seconds later, Angie and Johnny reached them. Will grunted as he lifted Maddie down from the saddle, but when he pulled back her cowl, all he found was a bull's-eye, painted red on a hessian sack covering where her face should have been.  
"Wait, w-w-what?" he stuttered out. Almost instantly, an arrow slammed into the bull's-eye, causing Will to jump back in surprise. Arrows seemed to appear at Angie, Johnny, and Gilan's feet. A figure dropped down from a nearby tree, dressed in a Ranger's uniform, minus the cloak.  
"I got you, and you, and you, and you!" Maddie exclaimed cheerfully, before doubling over with laughter at the looks on their faces.

* * *

**A/N Angie and Johnny are recurring OC's from my Ranger's Apprentice story, "The Ranger's Daughter". If these names are new to you and you wish to learn more about them I suggest you go check out the story. To all you new followers; welcome to the insanity, I hope you enjoy your stay.**


	4. Chapter 4

Maddie sat beaming at their table in the tavern at the village next to Trelleth Castle. Will was still smarting over the prank she pulled, stuck halfway between anger and amusement. Angie could sense the emotions coming from her mentor in waves, alternating between the two feelings. Gilan was completely deadpan, but even Johnny could see he was still laughing on the inside, much to Will's annoyance.  
Angie looked down at her delicious meal of chicken stew. The brown liquid was filled with flavour and had a distinct taste that was agreeable. The tavern, namely 'The Drunken Steward' was filled and bustling with people, the noise of conversation rising steadily. The four Ranger's had forsaken their cloaks and bows, and wore simple brown cloaks instead. The presence of one Ranger was enough to silence a tavern such as this, four would empty it.  
Angie turned her thoughts to the reason they were here, they were searching for a ship's captain, one which they would charter to take them along the route the ship _Harmony_ had taken.  
"You know, you really need to get over it," Maddie told Will, fighting to keep the laughter from her face.  
"And you need to keep from trying to stop my heart before my time." Will replied coolly, his voice even and face composed.  
"You're right, that's Angie's job now." She replied instantly.  
Angie began to protest when she realised Will had allowed himself a wry smile. She liked him when he was with others, he was less of a gruff old man when he was around Maddie and Gilan, a complete difference to the rest of the year, which they spent training.  
"She is certainly capable of giving me a scare," Will replied, recalling an incident four years earlier, when they were in Skandia. "I remember-," Will began before Gilan cut him off with a wave of the hand.  
"Our target is here, let's get ready, we want to get him before he gets too lost in his drink." Will nodded, and watched as the target ordered a drink, and sat down on a vacant table, watching his troubles swirl in the dark ale. The target was Cutter, Captain James Cutter, helmsman of _Wayfarer_. Will got up from the table and silently made his way to the Captain's table. Seating himself at the other end, he leaned in close, proposing the deal.  
"My companions and I are in need of a good Captain and ship to take us to sea, we're willing to pay whatever it takes." He said.  
Will spoke quietly and with surety, Captain Cutter just laughed. "I'm sorry, but no deal, I ain't going out there again, not with what's been happening."  
Will, his curiosity peaked, could hardly help but to ask, "What's been going on?"  
Cutter shook his head in despair, "Pirates, they been attackin' and sackin' ships along the coast for weeks, most of us Captains be too afraid to go to sea." A wistful look clouded his eyes as he thought of his beautiful ocean.  
Will wondered how a pirate ship could have been prowling the waters, with the Skandian ship patrolling the coastline. "Haven't the Skandians done anything about these pirates?" Will inquired.  
"Skandians, hah, they couldn't take down one of them Magyaran ships if them lives depended on it," Cutter scoffed, "Although, I give them credit, they did give it a helluva shot, but that damned weapon of theirs kept them at bay."  
Will thought for a moment, before presenting a sum of their gold. "I can make it worth your while," he offered, watching Cutter's face intently. Angie could see from her viewpoint the visible battle being fought on the Captain's face.  
"Oh alright fine, I'll take you out, but you better have more than this," Cutter said, gesturing to the gold. Will simply nodded, before handing Cutter the gold.  
"Think of it as a deposit," He said, his voice calm and warm. Cutter nodded, before becoming thoughtful.  
"Find me at the docks tomorrow morning; we cast off at the receding tide." He told Will. The Ranger acknowledged the information, before returning to his table. Quickly, he told them what he had learned, and what their plans were. Gilan nodded, now knowing what was happening, decided it was time to leave.  
"Well, it looks like you are all set, but now it's time I returned to my duties in Castle Araluen," Gilan with a hint of regret, before standing. "I wish you all the best of luck and hope you succeed." With a flourish of his cloak, Gilan departed, getting his horse from the stables. _And now, the long trip home_, he thought, _or maybe I'll visit Redmont beforehand, just pop in to see Jenny._  
After Gilan had left, the company looked to each other, simply nodded, and went back to their meals, all anticipating the next day, hoping to find out what had happened to _Harmony_, and its mysterious cargo.  
The next morning, Angie woke to the sound of a loud thump, followed by a pained groan. Cracking open her eyes, the sight that greeted her set her laughing the rest of the room awake. Johnny was flat on his back, holding his nose from where he had fallen face first from his bed onto the floor. Maddie's laughter joined hers, and eventually Johnny started laughing as well. Will shook his head, and Angie heard his muttering something about maturity and the age of thirty.  
Dressing, they headed downstairs from the Inn and went to the tavern for a breakfast. Luckily for the tavern's owner, the tavern was virtually empty so three Rangers and a Knight did not have any affect over the atmosphere or daily business. After ordering a quick breakfast and four mugs of steaming coffee, the Task Force headed out of the castle to the docks. As this was a quick search mission by sea, they left their horses with the local Ranger, who was more than happy to hold onto and care for the famous Tug, and Princess Madelyn's horse.  
The group soon found themselves in the docks, dodging around the groups of traders and merchants taking goods to and from ships. Upon finding a ship with _Wayfarer_ sloppily painted on the side, Will boarded and approached Captain Cutter.  
"Greetings Captain, I hope we are ready to go." Will spoke softly, so that only the Captain could hear, "We're looking for a ship, one that goes by the name of _Harmony_."  
A look of sorrow clouded the Captain's face, "I'm sorry sir," he began, taking in Will's cloak and bow, "but the news just came in, the ship you be lookin' for, _Harmony_, fisherman says he saw her beached."  
Will's eyes suddenly became hard, gripping the Captains arm, "You will take us there, as fast as you can, right now." Will said, his voice barely above a whisper.  
The Captain gulped, eyes falling on Will's saxe, and the other members of the Task Force as they boarded. Nodding vigorously, Cutter gasped out, "Of course, right away M' lord."  
Will shook his head in despair. _The problem with these common folk is that they tend to favour the title, 'M' lord'_, he thought. Turning away he said one final thing, "I'm not a lord, I'm just Will"  
Captain Cutter watched Will leave, slowly putting two and two together to conclude that this was the legendary Will Treaty. Involved in dangerous and daring missions, the Ranger could only be here for something dangerous, Captain Cutter was suddenly regretting this deal.


	5. Chapter 5

Gavin sat with his back to the wall of the dimly lit dockside tavern, nursing a tankard of cheap mead in his weathered hands. He was not drinking. The tankard was for show only, which was why it was filled with the cheap spirits. He needed his wits about him to meet with this particular client.  
At the door his client entered. The man wore a gray cloak, hiding his face beneath a deep cowl. He did not want to be seen in this part of the city, and Gavin could not really blame him. But Gavin loved this seedy little tavern, so much noise allowed the conversations he held to remain secret. And he could stage the whole tavern with his associates.  
The cloaked man made his way across the crowded tap room to Gavin's table. Gavin gave a grim smile, motioning for the man to sit. Slowly his guest sat in the chair, pulling his cowl lower as he did. Again Gavin smiled, he liked for his clients to be nervous.  
"I hear you have something I might be interested in," he had a thick accent, too thick. He was trying to hide who he really was to all the listeners.  
"I do," Gavin replied evenly looking the man in the eyes. "It was taken from the Lands far to the East, past Nihon-Ja, in the uncharted waters."  
"These things mean little to me. I have my own ships to sail to this uncharted land," his false accent slipped momentarily. "It would be cheaper to do so."  
"The chest is lined with the satin the people Nihon-Ja are so proud of. The chest itself, it is the finest transport device my men have ever seen."  
"Your men are accustomed to fine crates?" the client asked sarcastically. "I still hear nothing to warrant the outrageous price your messenger gave to me."  
The smile pulling at Gavin's lips broadened to a grin, wolfish and cunning. "Such a fine chest would only carry the rarest of treasures, do you not agree?" he asked simply. "And this chest holds two of these rare gems."  
" Gems!?" the man balked, standing. "You demand to meet in this hole—to speak of gems! I could find gems worth this price without trying uncharted waters during the storm season," he narrowed his gaze at Gavin. "You are wasting my time," the cloaked man turned from Gavin.  
"Both of the stones are the size of your head," Gavin said slowly as the man stalked away. "One is the color of the sea on her finest day, a blue so deep you could get lost in it." Slowly the man turned back to face Gavin. "The other, the color of fire, like the stone was cast to the flames and they still lick at the hard surface," Gavin waved his hand before him like he was brushing his fingers over the strange stone.  
The cloaked man returned to his chair, his hands folding on the table between them. "How do I know you speak the truth?" he asked guardedly. "How can I trust that what you say is true?"  
"I have the stones, in their chest here, sir," he added the title with a slight smile. "They await your expert inspection in a room in the back."  
"I would see these stones," the thick accent returned and the man pulled his cowl lower over his face. Together the two men stood, Gavin leading the way through the crowded taproom.  
Sitting by the fire, at a small table sat a girl and a boy. Both were young, but already they knew too much of the harsh realities of the world. They lowered their heads as Gavin and his guest passed their table, bending over half eaten plates of beef stew and day old bread.  
"Did you hear that?" the girl asked her companion once the door to the back had closed. "Satin," she smiled at him.  
"Is that all you heard?" the boy snapped looking over the girl's shoulder to the closed door. "The gems in that chest must worth both our weights in gold."  
"Who cares about stupid rocks," she huffed turning her hazel eyes away from him, ignoring the stern gaze he gave. "Imagine what we could do with that satin."  
"Ken, we've got mouths to feed," he started.  
"And satin is rare," Kennie replied, whining slightly. "A single yard could feed all of us for weeks."  
"And those stones could feed us for a lifetime," the boy shook his head at the girl. "When will you learn to think?"  
"When you stop being so snippy," Kennie replied crossing her arms over her narrow chest. "We'll never get the stones. That was Signore Bacarri from Toscano. He'll have those assassins guarding the stones, but the chest—Nikhi we can get the chest once he takes the stones."  
"Or we can take the chest and the stones," Nikhi's eyes gleamed looking past Kennie to the closed door. "Gavin never closes a deal back there," he offered.  
"He probably also has a pair of muscles with faces back there," Kennie sighed bending over her plate to move the chilled stew around. "They beat Rick senseless when he tried what you're thinking about."  
"Since when did you let commonsense stop you from doing something reckless?"  
Kennie glowered at Nikhi from behind her roughly cut sandy hair, "since you let gold make you act recklessly."  
"I'm not being reckless," Nikhi protested. But he could not defend his claim. He was acting recklessly, a trait normally reserved for the girl across the table from him.  
They had known each other for years, and had found a group of friends who they helped. The group was small and very close, looking to each other as family. It was Kennie and Nikhi who had started it by helping others get food and shelter.  
Nikhi felt responsible for them, and especially the hard-headed tomboy with him in the tavern. He was the oldest, he had the plans and they naturally looked to him for guidance. And at that moment his sense of responsibility was outweighing his senses of what was plausible.  
They needed food, the stores were running low and they could only steal so much before the people noticed. If they could get something valuable, they could buy food. And those stones Gavin talked about would be perfect.  
"It's sad that I'm the one being reasonable," Kennie shook her head at him. "You're the adult."  
Nikhi opened his mouth to respond, but at that moment the door Gavin and Signore Bacarri had passed through opened. Nikhi snapped his mouth shut and dropped his head to hide his face from the pirate. Kennie looked up with her eyes meeting Nikhi's.  
"I'll have the chest sent to the Inn, signore," Gavin was saying as he passed Nikhi and Kennie's table. "Now all we have left to do is discuss the price."  
"If we just take the stones we could slip out the window," Kennie whispered, her eyes darting around the room, looking for Gavin's men. "We could be back home before Gavin even shakes that Toscanon's hand."  
Nikhi smiled, "I knew you would see things my way," he teased sliding across the bench toward the door.  
Kennie rolled her eyes waiting for him to reach the door. She watched the room, her eyes never stopping as she waited to join Nikhi. Maybe I'm rubbing off on him, she thought with a smile pulling at her lips, not even realizing that he thought the same thing about her as he opened the door leading to Gavin's meeting room.  
She joined him moments later, tucking a loaf of the day old bread inside her tunic as she closed the door to the small room. "Is that the chest?"  
"What else could it be?"  
The chest was a meter and a half long, a meter tall and a meter wide. The wooden panels were lacquered and gleamed deep red in the firelight. The edges and corners were plated with gold etched with the writing of the land the chest came from, a simple lock held the lid to the main part of the chest. Kennie ran her hand over the top imagining how much gold they could get for the chest alone.  
"Come on, we have to hurry," Nikhi stood beside her, opening the chest as he spoke. "This deal won't take long to close."  
"Can't we take the box too?" Kennie asked looking up at Nikhi's face. "We're strong enough to carry it and just think of how much that's worth."  
"It's bulky, and you're terrible at running and carrying something with someone else," Nikhi answered, closing the subject. "Now grab a rock and let's go."  
The stones were cushioned on stain pillows; the whole interior was lined with the deep red material. And like Gavin had said, one stone was the color of the ocean a pattern like the waves crashing against the shore rippled over the smooth surface. The other was a mixture of red, orange, and yellow, wrapping and melding together like thin fingers of fire holding the stone firmly in its grasp.  
Nikhi reached out taking the fire stone in his hands, Kennie took the water. For a moment, once their hands hand wrapped around the smooth surface, they felt warmth flooding their bodies. But there was no time to wonder at the phenomenon, they knew their time was limited.  
Together they tucked the stones beneath their arms and leapt out the window into the heat of the late summer night. Kennie lead the way as they ran through the docks toward the outer wall of the port city, a smile pulling at her lips. They had just stolen from Gavin, the most fearsome pirate in the world, and a Toscano Lord.  
"I like you being reckless," she threw over her shoulder at Nikhi.  
Nikhi laughed in response, "and I like you being responsible. But we both know that's not going to last."  
"Nope," Kennie grinned running out into the woods ahead of Nikhi, heading back to the only home either of them had ever known.


	6. Chapter 6

"I brought bread!" Kennie shouted as she ran through the dense forest, waving the half crushed loaf over her head.  
A few meters ahead of her a head burst out of a bush. "Bread?" the young boy asked, brushing leaves and twigs from his dark hair as he climbed out of his post. "Is it fresh?"  
"Only a day old," Kennie beamed holding the bread out for inspection.  
"Wow," the boy whistled. "Day old bread. This is fantastic!" The boy snatched the bread from Kennie's hand and took off running.  
He made it two meters before Nikhi caught up with Kennie and called the boy back. "Michael! You're on watch," Nikhi reminded the boy. "You can't go running off with that bread."  
"But Nikhi," Michael stopped mid-step and turned large pleading eyes up at the tall teenager, his lower lip puckering. "We haven't had good bread in months."  
"Family first," Kennie smiled, plucking her loaf of bread back from the boy. "But don't worry; I'll save you a piece. Right out of the middle," she whispered as Nikhi passed the border post of their camp. The boy grinned at her.  
"Thanks Kennie," Michael called as Kennie ran after Nikhi.  
The camp was built in the trees, six enclosed structures, three open-air pavilions, and one large amphitheater area where they gathered for official meetings. Everything was connected by rope bridges and ladders built into the very trees protecting them from prying eyes. It had been Kennie's idea to build the camp in the trees, "no one really ever looks up," she had shrugged away the incredulous looks of the Nikhi and the first girl that had joined them, Marion. Since neither of them had a better idea, they built their first enclosed hut in a tall oak tree.  
Kennie stuffed the bread back in her tunic as she waited for one of the others to lower the rope ladder for them to climb. She adjusted the smooth stone she had taken from the tavern under her arm, marveling at how light it seemed to be. Nikhi seemed to be thinking the same thing, he kept looking down to make sure it was still there.  
"I bet they're hollow," Kennie commented, still looking up at the thick canopy waiting for the ladder. "That's why they're worth so much."  
"So it has nothing to do with the fact that they came from the uncharted waters to the East?" Nikhi smiled at the girl, moving the stone to his free hand. "It takes a lot of gold to move things over the ocean."  
"It takes a lot of gold to move anything," Kennie responded. "What's taking the ladder so long?" she drew her knife at her side and struck the trunk with the hilt several times in a rhythmic pattern, signaling that someone was waiting on the ladder. "I already shouted about the bread, what other announcement do they need?"  
"The password would be good," a thin face appeared through the false branches constructed around their camp, her long auburn hair framing her face as she smiled at them. "Or you could say please."  
"Please, Marion," Kennie exaggerated the action of asking for the ladder, throwing her hands out in a sweeping bow, "lower the ladder so I can share the loaf of bread I got."  
"Why didn't you say that to begin with?"  
"She did," Nikhi responded watching as Marion pushed the ladder down for them. "She nearly had Michael abandoning his post so he could get some of it," he caught the swinging rope ladder before it could hit him or Kennie and motioned for Kennie to climb up first.  
"That wasn't a very loud shout then," Marion accepted the stone from Kennie when she was within reach, allowing Kennie to climb over the lip of the platform with ease. "I've been here since you two left, and I didn't hear anything."  
"Then you're going deaf," Nikhi passed Kennie his stone as he climbed up on the platform. "I'm amazed no one's found us she was so loud." Kennie turned around, sticking her tongue out at Nikhi.  
"I wasn't any louder than you were yesterday when after Tony collapsed that addition to the bunk house," she smiled helping Marion pull up the rope ladder.  
"That deserved yelling," Nikhi smiled at Kennie taking the fire stone away from her. "We've been working on that for two whole months, and his clumsy self destroyed all of it."  
"It's not his fault. Braxton left his tools all over the floor," Marion came to the defense of the poor boy who had accidently destroyed the entire building addition. Marion had a soft spot for all of the younger children in the camp, especially the ones who only joined them recently.  
"I was joking," Nikhi smiled helping Marion and Kennie to their feet. "It's this little banter thing we do, it makes things funny," he explained to Marion for what felt like the millionth time.  
"Come on Marion, get with the times," Kennie took her water stone from the older girl as they started for the bridge connecting the platform one of the pavilions. "You've been with us for almost four years."  
Marion laughed lightly, rubbing her arm idly as she followed after the pair. "I guess I'm just not use to it yet. My family was always very reserved and quiet."  
"Well now you're family is loud and intrusive," Kennie and Nikhi smiled over their shoulders at her as the crossed the ten meter span over the six meter drop.  
"Hey," a shout cut through whatever Marion might have said next, "it's Nikhi and Kennie!"  
The pavilion had six pillars on each of the four sides to hold the roof up, there were platforms half way up each of them to give more space for the close knit group to sit. And they were overflowing with children waiting on the return of their leaders. The pavilion closest to the camp entrance was the main gathering space and unofficial dining area, it was where everyone waited for news. Like the kind Nikhi and Kennie had left to attain that day after their lunch.  
"What did you learn?"  
"Is it true?"  
"What does it mean?"  
They were flooded with questions as the others rushed forward, pressing close to the duo. Kennie grinned at them, her eyes widening.  
"It was all true. The beast rose from the waters and ate the entire ship," she shouted over the constant questions of her family. "The only thing left was a single note in a clay bottle that washed ashore just outside of the harbor," she lowered her voice, gaining everyone's attention. "Just when they thought all was safe, the Kalkara strikes again!" Kennie threw her hand out and spun in a wide circle scattering the crowd.  
"It was true," Nikhi interrupted Kennie's concocted tale of monsters. "_Discord_ turned against _Harmony_ off the coast of Picta. Captain Reg beached her to make repairs and nearly died when the Scotti attacked them."  
"But why?"  
"Those two are a team."  
"Why would they turn against each other?"  
"Because of these," Kennie held her stone up over her head for everyone to see. "_Harmony_ was bringing these stones in an ornate chest from the Far East, past the edges of the map. The rumors say the trip was chartered by Queen Cassandra herself," Kennie lowered her voice again, making everyone lean in to hear her.  
"Why?"  
"What are they?"  
"I want to see it!" the crowd pressed in again, reaching out to take the strange stones from Nikhi and Kennie.  
"No," Nikhi shouted to get everyone's attention. "No one gets the stones. No one is going to touch them. We're selling these so we can buy supplies." That was the end of the discussion, no one was going to speak against Nikhi. "Now, if you're supposed to be on watch get back to it. If not, go do whatever you want."  
As quickly as it had formed the crowd dispersed, leaving Nikhi, Kennie, Marion and a few of the others standing in the center of the pavilion. Kennie sighed watching them go, tucking the large stone beneath her arm once again.  
"I think that went well," she turned a smile up at Nikhi. "At least none of them pressed the matter."  
"It's still early," Marion bit her lip. "Do you really think those things are worth anything?"  
"A Toscano was going to buy them," Nikhi responded starting across the pavilion to the storage building where they would keep the stones until they could be sold. "He acted like Gavin was asking a lot for them."  
"But they're just rocks," a boy named Fletcher tailed after them. "There's a million of them right here in the forest."  
"Not like these," Kennie walked backwards, holding to stone out for Fletcher to look at. "These rocks aren't like Araluen rocks. They come from the Far-away East, past Nihon-Ja and the edges of the map."  
"Quit before you fall," Nikhi laughed, laying a protective hand on Kennie to keep her from slipping of the edge of the suspended rope bridge.  
"I'd never fall," she smiled at him. Mainly because she was always conscious of the edges of the camp, she would never fall because she'd never come anywhere close to an edge. Her smile told Nikhi want he needed to hear, _Thanks for not letting me fall_.  
"I thought you said you had bread," Marion asked hesitantly.  
Kennie's face fell dramatically, "Oh," she sighed; "I forgot about the bread." The others laughed.

**A/N Marion is a submitted OC from IrishArcher. Thanks for your OC, I hope you like her! Also, it's still not too late to submit an OC. Just pm me with the details. **


	7. Chapter 7

_Wayfarer_ heaved like a thing possessed, fighting to stay afloat above the stormy seas. Maddie could see the looks that passed periodically across her old mentor's face, memories from a time long past in weather that was much, much worse. The waves weren't nearly as high as when Will and Cassandra—then Evanlyn—crossed the Stormwhite as Skandian captives. Cutter was at the helm, calmly controlling and directing his ship towards the Picta coastline.  
They had been at sea for three days, the winds favouring their journey, speeding their arrival. Given that Trelleth was located on the North-western side of Araluen, _Wayfarer_ had to go around the top of Picta, to the other side of the landmass.  
"We're approaching the site where _Harmony_ was beached!" Cutter shouted over the storm indicating with his free hand to a small beach near the Picta-Araluen border. As they rounded the reef point, the beach was dominated by a half wrecked ship.  
Casting an anchor, The Task Force along with Captain Cutter rowed to the beach, and greeted the lookout through the wind and rain. The poor man looked like he had been through Hell, he had fresh bandages tied around his arms, legs and torso.  
"What happened son?" Maddie heard Will call, raising his voice over the squall. "You look like you've been fighting a war."  
The lookout nodded grimly, "You're not are off Ranger, sir," He replied, "The name's Tsun, and we've been fighting Scotti for three days."  
"We best get you out of here then, but first I need to speak to your Captain." Will called again, "We are her Royal Highness' Rangers, and we've come to get her delivery." Will noted the name of the lookout, Skandian, but he didn't have the colouring or the build. _Probably been a slave at some point,_ He thought.  
The lookout's face grew grim, and he shook his head slightly before speaking, "You'd better follow me to the Captain then." Spinning on his heels, he trudged heavily away. Following the lookout, the only noise was the crunching of sand beneath Johnny's feet. They were taken to a tented area, where wounded men lay resting, and others, sleeping. Another figure was seated, a tired look on his features, looking mournfully at his ship.  
The lookout whistled, and the man's gaze snapped to them, sorrow emanating from his eyes. Maddie noticed two freshly dug graves near the campsite, and she guessed the reason for the man's sorrow.  
"Greetings, are you Captain Reginald?" Will asked the man, his voice warm, but guarded.  
"Aye, that is right, I am Captain Reginald." The man said wearily, his features heavy.  
Will pressed on, trying to get to the heart of the issue, "You were transporting a chest, I am a Queen's Ranger, and I have come to retrieve it."  
"It's gone, not here anymore," Captain Reginald trailed off.  
"Well where is it; what happened to it?" Will demanded, losing his patience. Hours on board the unstable vessel had worn his temper down.  
"Pirate's stole it, probably hauled it to Culway Port to sell, what I'd do if I was them." Reginald said.  
Will simply nodded, his purpose achieved. James Cutter looked at the ship and the scared crew, before speaking, "I could take you and your crew to the closest port past Culway, none of us want to lose our ship, but you will lose lives defending it." He offered Reginald.  
Will stopped when he heard the offer, and Maddie saw him curse himself on his blindness to their problems. Stepping forward, before Will could do anything, Maddie addressed Captain Reginald.  
"I can get you guards, and the best shipwright in the area to repair your vessel, if you would like, just take," She rummaged in one of her pockets for something, before pulling it out and handing it to the Captain, "this, and show it to the local Baron, they'll help you then."  
Captain Reginald took the slip of paper from Maddie, his eyes falling on her Royal Seal. "Why, M' lady, thank you for this honour," He blurted out in surprise, trying to control himself.  
With a smile tugging at the corners of her lips, Maddie said, "Maddie will be just fine Captain, I am a Ranger after all, and it would be my pleasure to help you."  
The Captain dipped his head in unspoken thanks, gratitude replacing the sorrow in his eyes. The Task Force, knowing the crew of _Harmony_ was in the safe hands of _Wayfarer_, who had an armed guard, started on the day long march across the border to Culway Fief, to track down the stolen chest.

Wind and rain beat against the rickety door of the tavern. A cloaked figure sat in the tavern, mulling over the past events. It had taken two days to reach Culway from Picta, on account to Johnny's armor, and getting information out of Sea Captains was like trying to wring water from a rock. But they had found a drunk sailor who had told them all about the dark ship _Dishporth_, which Will thought was supposed to be _Discord_, sister ship to _Harmony_, and the Pirate ship that took the chest. The sailor then directed the Task Force to the tavern where Gavin of Picta made his deals. Now, Will sat at a table in that tavern, watching the crowd from the depths of his cowl.  
The Tavern-Keeper had not told him anything; the guy had a locked mouth, no doubt chosen by Gavin for that job. Will was in a black mood, due to the fact that his job was now so much harder. The pirates, who stole the chest, had the items in the chest stolen from them, by a group of thieves that had been operating in the area. From what Will could gather, such thefts were conducted by teams of two, small statured thieves throughout the area.  
Maddie and Angie were looking around the tavern, trying to find tracks that would tell them where the thieves had gone. Will was hunting for more information, hoping for one of Gavin's cronies to come to the bar to retrieve the chest. Apparently, it was still in the 'back room', although Will had been unable to get close enough to get a look. While he could easily take the two guards, he did not know how many of the tavern's patrons were serving the pirate.  
A dark cloaked figure entered the bar, and made their way smoothly through the crowd, picking through the throng with practiced ease. Will watched as they headed for the corridor that led to the room where the chest was held. He was halfway out of his chair, when a light hand firmly pushed his shoulder down, back into the chair. A second cloaked figure took their place opposite Will, and he could see a small, hand-held crossbow pointed at him.  
The stranger shook their head slightly, a silent _"Don't move, else you'll never make it to the door."_  
Will noticed as a third cloaked figure enter the room, and his chances grew slimmer, three possible agents of the Pirate Gavin, and one with a weapon pointed at him. The third figure took a seat next to the second, and Will caught a glint of silver. Fast as a snake, the third cloaked figure delivered a crushing blow to the second's temple, knocking them out cold. They fell against the wall, looking as though they were passed out from too much ale.  
Maddie signaled with her hand to speak outside. Will nodded and they left together, leaving the cloaked figure against the wall. When they were outside, Maddie spoke; "I found our culprit's tracks; they didn't bother to cover their trail, so they must be damned confident in their skill at hiding." She informed him, "No need to get the chest, we can find the contents now."  
Will nodded again, "Then we best be off, gather Angie and find Johnny, we leave immediately." He commanded, turning his gaze towards the woods where the trail led, "We're coming to get back what's ours little thieves." He said to himself, almost with amusement.  
Angie and Johnny arrived a few minutes later, before they all headed off into the field before the forest, the Rangers making no noise at all, only the faint, almost inaudible, clinking of Johnny's padded armor was the only thing to mark their passing.


	8. Chapter 8

A strong wind blew from the north, the flag at the mast head rustled, snapping against the ropes holding it aloft. His signal rippling beneath the low hanging clouds on the choppy seas. Gavin's hold on the tiller was lose, yet firm, holding his ship on course as only an experienced sailor could.  
The pirate Gavin came from Araluen originally, but could never live under the rule of a woman. When he became captain, and began his life of piracy, he lied claiming to be Gallic and Scotti. That was far more impressive than being a low born Araluen fisherman. His false legacy was what made him so feared, a Scotti general as a father and noble Gallic woman as his mother; only fools would dare to challenge something so intimidating.  
Apparently this false legacy failed to spark fear in children.  
Gavin growled, his hand tightening marginally on the tiller as the wind buffeted his face, the familiar scent of salt drying his mouth. Those little brats had grown too arrogant; he had allowed them to survive too long, let them become too rooted in his territory. And now he had suffered a crushing blow at their hands, with a Toscano Lord there to witness the humiliation.  
Gavin pulled on the tiller, turning the ship so the wind was pushing _Discord_ from the starboard stern. He had to take to the sea to think about this disaster, he could not think in the crowded taverns listening to the drunken exploits of people who had done nothing in the past nine years. He needed time on the water to try and find the weak point in that band of miscreants, who had suddenly jumped from mild annoyance to sever problem.  
After all he had done for them, allowing them to thrive so close to his home base, turning the blind eye when they stole food from his stores, allowing them to interfere with small business ventures. This was how those brats repaid him? This was the thanks he received for letting them live. His greatest payday ever, snatched from right under his nose. While he was in the building!  
It seemed it was time to uproot them. He had a vague idea of where their camp was located, vague being a rough area of three square kilometers. If he pulled his resources he could easily find them, get rid of the greatest thorn in his side since he turned pirate, and retrieve those stones.  
Gavin growled again, narrowing his eyes on the horizon, keeping the coast just in his peripheral. The ship lurched in the squall, the banner on the mast head popped as the wind ripped at the worn canvas. Gavin rolled with the ship, the sister of his own brother's ship.  
That was something Gavin should have looked after better. He had run his own brother aground in pursuit of that chest. Gavin knew Reg had beached on the coast of Picta, he also knew that a clan of the Scotti had been keeping close watch over them. A favor to Gavin was the only reason the whole crew had not been killed before those Rangers showed up. But they had not been kind to Reg's ship.  
He also knew what remained of _Harmony's_ crew had sailed off on _Wayfairer. _Those ex-pirates were all safely back in Araluen, forced to abandon their precious ship. That was a fate worse than death to Reginald, they had saved for years to purchase the twin ships that had been renamed _Harmony_ and _Discord._  
There was no way Reg would have the gold in his coffers to repair his ship, not without abandoning her on the beach indefinite amount of time. And if Reg was serious about this claim to serve the Queen, it would take him the rest of his life to earn that gold and by that time _Harmony's_ bones would be worthless. Reg would never captain _Discord's_ sister again; and that bothered Gavin as much as the band of miscreants hiding in the forest.  
The pirate growled leaning with his ship as he tacked again with the wind. Some things needed to change, starting with finding what happened with _Harmony_. Perhaps he could aid in the repairs of _Harmony_, get his brother back to his true calling, piracy.  
Gavin was still finding it hard to accept that Reg had turned from piracy. Growing up all they had talked about was sailing, and being in control of their own destinies. Sailing under the command of a Queen was not being in complete control. Gavin would remind Reginald of that when he was found. It was his responsibility as the elder brother after all.  
"Capt'n, land ho!" Gavin looked up at the crow's nest where the man was leaning toward the distant shore with the spyglass pressed firmly over his eye. Where they already so close to where _Harmony_ was beached? "_Harmony's_ gone!"  
"What do you mean gone?" Gavin shouted. He did not like this news. Reg's ship had been in a state of disrepair, she would have barely been able to make it to shore. How could he have moved her any farther than this isolated, rocky stretch of beach?  
"There's no ship 'ere Capt'n," the man lowered the spy glass, looking down at Gavin. "No ship an' no crew."  
Reginald was gone. Completely gone. How could he be gone? _Harmony _had been listing so badly she had to be bailed the whole time Reg brought her to shore. The reports from the Scotti had said she was too damaged to be moved. How could he have moved her?  
Gavin growled in his chest, turning the tiller to sail up the coast. _Harmony_ could not be too far away. They would not have been able to move her too far. He would sail this desolate coast until he found his brother's ship.

Pale sunlight was glistening over the dark waters of the narrow straight when Gavin released the tiller to his first mate. A full night, sailing up the Picta coastline and there was not a sign of Reginald and his injured vessel. How was he able to move so far so quickly? And where had he moved too?  
If Gavin knew he would not be trying to rub the red from his eyes as they burned with exhaustion.  
"Keep a sharp eye out," he ordered as he started below deck. "Keep at twenty knots; come get me if you see her. If not, I'll be back in an hour."  
"Aye capt'n," the first mate responded.  
Gavin growled again as he descended into the darkness of the ship's hold. Nothing about this disaster was making sense to him. The mysterious chest from the far-east, the vanishing ship, the high price of the light stones stolen from him, the vanishing ship; it was so odd he had to list it twice.  
The Rangers must have done something, Gavin finally decided after mulling over the issue overnight. The Scotti had said three of those cloaked bowmen had come ashore with some of _Wayfairer's_ crew. Gavin had heard about the Rangers who went abroad, that legendary man who had been trained by the mountainous Ranger Halt, Will Treaty and his apprentice the child of Queen Cassandra.  
They must have done something, taken the ship with the help of the seawolves. They must have moved it somewhere to hold it while Reg earned the gold for the repairs. If only he had come to this realization hours ago, he could have spent the night looking for the port-city _Wayfairer_ had taken Reginald to with the remainder of his crew. A night wasted.  
But one mystery solved. That left only three; the reason for the chest's delivery, the driving force behind the high price of the stones, and the children who had taken the stones from him. Gavin threw the door of his quarters open, storming into the room.  
Now that he knew what had happened to the ship, he could begin to figure out which of the ports _Harmony_ was being stored in and, more importantly, where Reg had gone to wait out the repairs. Gavin leaned over the map pinned to his desk, staring at the landmass with his frequented ports circled. Reg would know better than to store _Harmony_ in any of those.  
"They must have gone to the Skandian shipyard," he muttered to himself, staring at the natural harbor Queen Cassandra had given to the Skandians so they could repair their ships.  
That would be the optimal location to store the ship. And if the Skndians came for _Harmony_ that would be the first place they would think to take her. Gavin nodded, turning from his desk and falling into his hammock. Now that the mystery of the missing ship was resolved he could lie down for a minute.  
Before Gavin had even fully stretched out, his eyes closed and his breathing settled.


	9. Chapter 9

Kennie stretched out in the hammock swinging above the vast stores of junk members of their family had decided were worth keeping. It was her turn to guard the store room, and she would have rather been doing anything else. Guarding the store room was a task everyone had agreed was pointless. But Nikhi had decided that it needed to be guarded while they had the strange stones, so she took her turn, just like everyone else.  
She sighed looking at her reflection in the blade of her knife, her sand colored hair was getting longer than she liked; it covered her pale eyes. She was starting to look like a girl again, despite her grime covered features. She tilted her head to the right, trying to see how it looked at a different angle.  
"Too long," she muttered twisting her mouth to see the distorted reflection in her blade. "It's always too long."  
"Only because you insist on looking like a boy," Kennie rolled over in the hammock, careful to stay in the center of the canvas material. Nikhi had his arms folded over his chest standing the doorway. "I think you'd make a very pretty girl."  
"I think I'm more suited to be a boy. People respect me that way," Kennie responded slipping her knife back in the scabbard on her hip.  
"People respect you because you deserve it," Nikhi walked into the room, closing the door behind him. "The fact that you're a girl has nothing to do with it."  
"Says the boy," Kennie smiled at him, turning in the hammock again to stare at the ceiling. "Everyone knows that girls are less in this society."  
"We have a Queen."  
"The one exception," Kennie huffed crossing her arms.  
"Why don't you come down? I don't want to talk to a hammock."  
"I'm facing my greatest fear," she could envision the smile on Nikhi's face as she spoke. "And what do you want to talk about?"  
"What do you think?" Kennie hung her head over the edge of the hammock to watch Nikhi, who was climbing up toward her hammock.  
"Security?" she guessed, holding the edge of the hammock tightly as Nikhi climbed up beside her. "The loaf of bread we got and didn't get any of? No, wait," she smiled watching Nikhi settle facing her in the hammock, "you want to talk about the fact that we stole from Gavin."  
"Actually it was the loaf of bread. I really wanted more after that heel I had with the cold beef stew," he laughed.  
"I knew it," Kennie folded her arms, looking away from Nikhi. "It's always food with you."  
"And you," Nikhi shook the hammock slightly, holding Kennie's foot as he did so to make sure she did not fall. "But seriously."  
"Seriously?" Kennie's brows rose toward her hairline, a smile tugging at her lips. "I don't do serious."  
"We have to find a buyer for these stones."  
"And be secretive about it," Kennie agreed. "If Gavin hears about it, we'll have to relocate."  
"Do you have any ideas?"  
They stared at each other for a long time, thinking about how they could sell the stones without word spreading. The entire black market of Culway Fief was under the Pirate Gavin's calloused thumb. They would have to leave Culway, and that was something neither really wanted to do. A trip away from the camp would take too long; they had never left their family alone for more than a few days at a time.  
"Colby's not too far away," Kennie offered. "One of us could go and be back in eight or nine days."  
"And if someone came with me," Nikhi started.  
"You?!" Kennie interrupted. "What makes you think you're the one going to Colby?"  
"I'm older."  
"So?" she challenged indignantly.  
"Are you telling me you want to go? You hate traveling," Nikhi exclaimed quickly. "You hate walking, we don't have a horse. And besides, I can protect both of them."  
"I can handle it," Kennie decidedly ignored the very true comments about her distaste of travel. "If I take the crossbow, double up on knives, and take Fletcher or Marion we should be able to go to Colby and come home without trouble."  
"I don't think it's a good idea," Nikhi shook his head. "If it was both of us, I'd say it's fine. But you're still just a child."  
"I am not," she shrieked, sitting up. "I've been with you for almost six years. I wasn't even a child when I actually was a child. I can go to the next Fief without trouble."  
"Kennie, I just don't think it's a good idea."  
"Because you want to go," Kennie accused hotly. "If you didn't want to go to Colby you wouldn't have a problem with me going."  
"Yes I would," Nikhi sat up. The two were nose to nose, glaring at one another.  
_Tap. Tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap. Tap._  
Kennie turned from Nikhi quickly her brow furrowing in annoyance and confusion, looking for the source of the tapping, which was increasing in frequency. No; there were two of them. Two things were tapping in the store room, or near the store room.  
"What is that noise?" she asked, throwing her legs over the side of the hammock to drop on the crate she had used to climb up. "Is there a squirrel in here again?"  
"It doesn't sound like a squirrel," Nikhi dropped down next to Kennie on the crate, hanging onto the hammock to steady himself.  
Kennie's brow furrowed further as she slipped down toward the floor, her head tilting as she tried to find the source of the tapping. "It's in one of the boxes," she decided, her boots sliding over the floor to muffle the sound of her steps.  
_Tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap. Tap-tap-tap._  
"It's in that box," Nikhi leapt to the floor, joining Kennie as she pointed out the source of the noise. They leaned in, looking down at the box.  
"That's where we put the stones," Nikhi reached out to pull the crate toward him.  
How could something have gotten in there? He pulled the pin holding the lid down out as he contemplated how something could have gotten in. Someone had been in the store room since he put the stones away the night before, nothing should have been able to get in there.  
"They're broken," Kennie breathed as the lid was lifted to reveal the stones.  
Both of them had a long fissure running the length of the glistening surface, with smaller cracks rippling out from the original. The tapping was coming from inside the cracked stones. They reached out in unison to the stones, Nikhi reaching for the fire stone, Kennie for the water.  
When their fingertips touched the surface, the tapping stopped. Curious, they lifted the stones from the box. The outer layer of the shell crumbled away in their hands, leaving two small reptilian creatures the size of cats in the hands of the startled pair.  
Before they could even contemplate what had happened to the stones, a light flashed beneath the animals. Kennie bit her lip to keep from screaming and Nikhi looked like he was moments away from crying out, intense heat burned in their hands. Breathing heavily, they shifted the animals to see what had happened. But all they could see were the lizards in their hands.  
Nikhi held a red-orange lizard. It curled in his hands and looked up with eyes that moved like a dancing flame. It gave off as slight purr and nuzzled against his thumb.  
Kennie's lizard was the color of the sky on a calm day. And like water it sprawled over her hands, wrapping the tail around her wrist. It clicked its jaw, looking up at Kennie with eyes that moved like roaring storm clouds.  
"I don't think we can sell these," Kennie tore her eyes away from the lizard in her hands to look at Nikhi.  
"No, I don't think we can," Nikhi looked down at Kennie. Both too stunned to comment further.  
"Nikhi! Kennie!" Fletcher rushed into the store room, he had his crossbow at his side, and was gasping like he had run the length of the camp. "A group just passed the boundary."  
"I think they're looking for those stones," Marion stood behind Fletcher, her eyes wide. "They look like Rangers."  
Nikhi and Kennie looked up at each other, then back to the cat-sized lizards in their hands, and then to Marion and Fletcher. If they were looking for the stones, or eggs, they were about to be severally disappointed. But they had other things to worry about than the lack of precious stones that had been stolen. The boundaries had been breached, they had to defend their home.  
"Get the weapons up," Nikhi handed his lizard to Kennie as he started for the door. "Was the yard swept? Are the false bottoms in place?"  
"Yes," Marion and Fletcher answered together, moving aside so Nikhi could leave the store room. "What's the plan?"  
"Watch them," Nikhi looked over his shoulder at Kennie, a slight smile touching his lips. "And hope they don't look up."


	10. Chapter 10

The soft dawn light drifted through the forest canopy; blues, pinks, and a deep gold coloured the sky, greeting the new day with warmth. Will stretched from his guard position, shaking the off chill that had settled during his watch. Looking around, he noticed the small layer of frost on their gear. He was disappointed at the lost time, Angie and Maddie could have traveled all night if necessary, but Johnny had not developed the endurance for that yet. Shaking the others awake, he set out to get firewood.  
The relatively dry forest was full of dead branches and bracken. Will followed the track left by the thieves, not wanting to stray too far, and also wanting to see where it led. No sound rose as he seemingly glided across the ground. Suddenly Will stopped, he saw something out of place out of the corner of his eye. He knelt down, gathering an armload of wood and quickly headed back to camp. _  
I need to speak to Maddie about this._ He never saw the shadow detach itself from a tree ten meters to the left, and melt into the morning shadows.  
Maddie was the first to notice his approach, raising her hand in greeting to her former mentor. Will nodded at her dumping his load of firewood in the arms of the half-awake apprentice knight. With a glimmer of humour, he spoke;  
"Johnny, Angie. Get the fire going, make up some breakfast and coffee. Maddie, come with me, I want to show you something."  
Angie nodded stoking the banked coals from the previous night's fire, while Johnny grumbled something under his breath joining Angie. Maddie shook herself, before following Will out of the camp. Will quickly led the way to where he had seen the anomaly. Reaching his destination Will turned to Maddie.  
"What do you see?" He asked.  
That simple question, asked thousands of times during her five years of training, struck a chord in Maddie's memory. _Look at the ground, what can I see?_she thought. After completing her first year, her mother had come to terms with the fact that her daughter was a Ranger, and would be until it came time for her to take the mantle of Queen. Maddie dropped to her knee, unconsciously rubbing at her hip.  
She noticed a couple of things, the first was that the thieves' tracks ended, and resumed a few meters away on a well worn path. The second, the ground was uneven and a small, thin stick was raised off the ground, almost unnoticeable. She followed the strange, segmented branch along to the nearest tree, where she found a hidden contraption; it was a small string system that ran up a tree.  
"It's called bamboo, I encountered it in Nihon-Ja. It's very strong, very light, and thin. The natives used it as an activation trigger for many things." Will mused.  
Maddie nodded triggering the mechanism. A weight, attached to the string, dropped from the upper branches of the tree. As the weight fell, a reed pipe fixed to the string moved quickly through the wind, producing a single, clear note that sound like a bird call. Will beckoned with his hand, turning from the warning system.  
"We best return to camp to eat before we go on ahead, I don't know about you, but I'd rather not fight on an empty stomach." Will joked lightly, heading away from strange warning system. Maddie followed, her mind wondering what the implications of setting off the call.  
Back at camp, the Task Force ate and packed quickly, pausing only long enough to discuss what Will and Maddie had found. Angie and Johnny both walked away with confused faces, trying to decipher the meaning of what the warning system meant. Will noticed the looks of befuddlement on all their faces, and laughed inwardly. _They're overcomplicating it, it's simple, the thieves have been warned._

* * *

The Task Force moved swiftly through the trees, finding more and more signs of activity in the area. The trees towered over them, enclosing them within its leafy green prison. The team looked around, noting all details, the scuffing of leaves, marks on trees, another warning system. Angie found a concealed look-out post, for someone small, nimble, and agile.  
Approaching a clearing the team stopped. Maddie was certain she had heard voices, and a look from Will confirmed her suspicions, he had heard them too. Signaling with her hand, Maddie instructed Angie and Johnny to enter while she and Will melted into the trees moving around the perimeter with knocked bows, covering all angles within the clearing.  
Angie and Johnny entered, eyes watchful for further signs of the thieves' passing. What Angie noted first was that the ground had been swept; she could see the distinct markings of sticks and leaves being drug over the ground. Second the path of the thieves had completely vanished, instead there were a dozen sets of prints moving around in spiraling patterns leading back out of the clearing.  
Angie stopped where the tracks converged, kneeling to inspect the tracks. She took a deep breathing clearing her mind before going through Will's checklist, it was still the only way Will had found to help Angie focus. She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and holding it in while she counted to ten. She opened her eyes, looking down at the tracks.  
_What do you see?_ All of the tracks began in one spot, and lead out of the clearing. There were no tracks entering the clearing besides the ones she and Johnny made.  
_What does this tell you?_ What did this mean? Obviously that something about this spot was important. But it was just the starting point, the tracks moved out of the clearing. The small glade was being protected.  
_What does that tell you? _This tactic was meant to distract them from the actual path the thieves took. Something about this point, and clearing, was important.  
_What are you going to do with this information?_ This was where Angie always stumbled. Four and half years under the tutelage of Will Treaty and she was still indecisive. That was the reason Will had added the question to his check list, so he could hear her thoughts. Mostly she was on the right track, but having Will tell her she was right was always comforting.  
"What do you see?" Johnny bent down looking over Angie's shoulder. After four years with Will and Maddie he could determine that there were tracks there, and the direction they were traveling, but little else.  
"They start here," she answered quietly. "They wander around a bit, and leave the clearing."  
"What? Did they come out of the tree?" he joked looking at the thick trunk of the oak they were standing under. He ran his hand over the rough bark trying to determine of the tree was hollow with a hidden door, like the look-out Angie had already found.  
"That post really intrigued you didn't it?" Angie smiled standing up, dusting off her knees.  
"It was inside a tree," he emphasized the point. It was not a regular occurrence to have a look-out inside the trunk of a massive tree. Johnny was still trying to determine how whoever made it, made it.  
"A hollow tree," Angie scanned the woods around the clearing slowly. She knew Will and Maddie were watching them, was Will satisfied with her actions in the clearing? Probably not since she and Johnny were talking. She bit her lip, seeing where Will was moving around the clearing, watching her. It was a good thing this was not one of her final assessments, she would have failed.  
"It was still a tree," Johnny moved away from the tree, following a set of tracks to the edge of the clearing. His time on the Task Force had taught him a few things, like help where you can or they revoke coffee privileges at the campsite. The tracks stopped just outside of the clearing, and completely vanished. "The tracks are just in the clearing," he reported.  
"Do they lead to a tree?"  
"No, they just vanish."  
_What does that tell you?_ These thieves were really good at not being found.


End file.
